ATP looking to shorten tennis season

A tired-looking Nadal crashed out of the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals on Thursday, just hours after the Spaniard had reaffirmed his view that the season was too long. 

“We are taking a good, hard look at our calendar to see if there is a meaningful way to lengthen the off-season that would allow players more time for rest, fitness and working on their game,” an ATP spokeswoman said in a statement on Friday.

“The issue of season length has been around for a long time and there is no quick fix, but we are committed to giving it real consideration. 

“The health and well being of players is a tour-wide issue -- preserving and extending the playing careers of our top players is critical  and essential for the long-term good of the sport,” she added.

Several top players are behind the appeal for a tour overhaul including world number two Novak Djokovic, who sits with Nadal on the Players' Council.  The ATP is to finalise its proposed calendars for the 2012 and 2013 seasons at a series of board meetings in London during the World Tour Finals in November, but there will be no changes to next year's schedule.

“The 2011 calendar has already been approved earlier and is essentially the same as that of this year,” the official added.